Nex Benedict's death has sent a shockwave through the trans and non-binary community. Rising violence against trans and non-binary teens has created a pressing need for safe spaces, and Nex Benedict's death shows that access to gender neutral bathrooms can mean the difference between life and death for vulnerable teens. California requires that schools provide gender neutral bathrooms for all students, but many schools can't or won't comply because of California's famously onerous red tape and skyrocketing costs.

As a parent of a gender non-conforming student, I am urging you to write to your CA state representative to ask for stronger protections for non-binary teens in schools. Specifically:

1. Make gender neutral bathroom requirements more supportive. The current legislation only requires that schools have a gender neutral bathroom, but many schools designate bathrooms far off campus, faculty lounge bathrooms, locked bathrooms, or other difficult-to-access spaces as their gender neutral facilities. Students should not be forced to walk ten minutes or find a faculty member to use the bathroom in safety.  Ask the legislature to require gender neutral bathrooms that are safe, convenient, and in good repair.
2. Reduce the red tape. Construction in California is notoriously expensive and difficult.  Any new construction no matter how small requires costly and time consuming reviews by the state architect, who can then impose hundreds of thousands of dollars of unrelated code upgrades, making new construction projects almost impossible to undertake. And the California plumbing code specifies the number of bathrooms required for boys and girls in schools, meaning that gender neutral bathrooms don't count!  Ask our legislators to create a streamlined approval process for schools that want to build gender neutral bathrooms, and amend the plumbing code to count gender neutral bathrooms. Safety for trans and NGC students should not be held hostage by California's regulators.
3. Provide the necessary funding to get the job done. Schools barely have enough money as it is, and construction in California is absurdly expensive. If we want safe bathrooms for trans and GNC students, we need to pay for them. Ask the legislature to set aside funding to help schools convert and build gender neutral bathrooms.

California must do more to support trans and GNC students.  86% of trans youth have reported suicidality, and interpersonal microaggressions are a significant contributor. Acting now will save lives.